LOIS ANN JOHNSON

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Created 12/24/2013 - 9:06am

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By Sally Cuthbertson

It was obvious when I visited Lois Ann Johnson that she was a pet lover. On the wall was a big picture of her dog, Max, who was 9 years old when he passed away last year. And coming to the door with Lois Ann was Kobey, who she adopted from a friend last spring when Kobey was 10 years old. Kobey just quietly sat at our feet while we visited. Lois Ann also had a 15-year old cat, Scamp, who just passed away one month ago. I managed to get Lois Ann’s picture beside her picture of Max. That evening when I got home she had sent me a picture of Kobey, which I’m also including today.
Lois Ann is a retired church secretary. She was married to her husband, Richard, for 46 years before he passed away in 2001. Lois Ann grew up in Ottumwa. She graduated from Cedar Falls College, which was at that time Iowa State Teachers College. After she and Richard were married they lived in the Waterloo and Cedar Falls areas for about 30 years. They moved to Humboldt, transferring with Richard’s job in the Electric Utility Business (NIMECA). She told me she has lived in Humboldt for 20 plus years. Together they had four children who all grew up in Cedar Falls. She is a proud grandmother of five grandchildren and one great-grandchild.
Lois Ann is an active member of Faith United Methodist Church in Humboldt. She stays very busy singing in the choir, playing hand bells and playing the violin. She also is a part of the Charity Circle and United Methodist Women. PEO Chapter OA and the Hospital Auxiliary are two more organizations that keep her busy. She works in the Hospital Auxiliary Coffee Shop at the Humboldt Hospital at least once a month. Her hobbies include gardening (in the summer), cooking and caring for pets.
Her preferred menu would be rib eye steak, rare, baked sweet potato and corn on the cob when in season. It was evident that she loves to cook by all the appealing recipes she shared with us today.

Grammy’s Baked Beans
This was her mother’s recipe and her family loves it!
32 ounce can pork and beans
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1/2 cup catsup
1/2 cup chopped onion
Several strips of bacon (your
choice as to how many)
Brown bacon in skillet until crisp; set aside to drain. Sauté chopped onion in bacon drippings until slightly soft, but do not brown. Cut up cooked bacon, add rest of the ingredients and put in a greased casserole dish. Depending on what temperature the rest of your meal is cooking, I usually do 400 degrees for about 1 to 2 hours. If a lower temperature is used, it will take longer. Try to get most of the juices to reduce so the beans are thicker and not runny.

Stuffed Mushroom Appetizers
Lois Ann received this recipe from her sister.
1 package hot pork sausage
1-1/2 teaspoons oregano
1 cup Parmesan cheese, divided
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire
sauce
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
8 ounce cream cheese, softened
1 large egg yolk
(3) 8 ounce packages
mushrooms, stems removed
A day before serving, brown the sausage in skillet; add oregano; cool. The next day, combine all of the ingredients together (except the mushrooms) and put about a tablespoon of the mixture in the cap of each mushroom. Sprinkle with a little of the reserved cheese; sprinkle with paprika. Put in an oiled baking dish and bake 350 degrees (uncovered) for about 25 minutes. Best if appetizer is served at room temperature.

Cranberry Salad
Lois Ann Johnson made this for the Christmas dinner at church last year. This recipe came from a cookbook from First United Methodist Church, Cedar Falls, 1992, which was her former church before moving to Humboldt.
2 cups fresh cranberries
1-1/4 cups water
1 cup sugar
3 ounce package raspberry
Jell-O
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 small can crushed pineapple,
drained
1/2 cup orange sections
1/2 cup chopped nuts
Bring cranberries and water to boil. Add sugar and cook 5 minutes. Add Jell-O and salt; cool. Add the drained, crushed pineapple, orange sections and nuts. Pour into a 9 x 9 inch pan and chill until set. I like to serve this with a dollop of mayonnaise. She changed this recipe by omitting the oranges and adding 1/2 cup diced celery and 1/2 cup chopped apples. She also put in 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon when mixing in the Jell-O and salt. She likes the flavor of the cinnamon in the salad.

Rice and Mushroom Casserole
Good with steak.
1 cup raw regular rice (Uncle
Ben’s Converted)
1 can French onion soup
3/4 can water
1 stick margarine
2-1/2 ounce jar undrained
mushrooms
Put all ingredients in a 2 quart greased casserole with lid. DO NOT STIR. Bake 325 degrees for 1/1/2 hours.
The COOK OF THE WEEK 3rd Edition Cookbook is available. Cost per copy is $10.70, plus $4.80 shipping/handling. Order a copy today by sending a check or money order, along with name and shipping address, to: Humboldt Independent, 512 Sumner Ave., Humboldt, IA 50548.